This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE FBO 06.4.2020.docx

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE. This notice is a market survey and is for information only, to be used for preliminary planning purposes. No proposals are being requested or accepted with this notice. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR QUOTES AND NO CONTRACT SHALL BE AWARDED FROM THIS NOTICE. The VA NCO 15 Contracting Center has been tasked to solicit for and award Acute Hemodialysis Services for the Wichita VAMC, Wichita, KS. Potential sources are responsible for the complete performance of the technical aspects of Hemodialysis Services. This includes providing the dialysis system, personnel, on continuous stand-by call coverage, equipment, supplies and maintenance of the VAMC’s water treatment system per the PWS. The contract provider will be expected to follow the rules and regulation of the VA to include utilizing the VA computer patient record system (CPRS) for documentation of medical care provided to patients. No solicitation is currently available at this time. The proposed project is anticipated to be a firm, fixed-price requirement. The type of solicitation to be issued will depend upon the responses to this notice. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this notice or any follow up information requested. The purpose of this notice is to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities and qualifications of various members of the Business Community to include Small Business or Large Business, Veteran Owned Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), HUBZONE, 8(a), etc., to complete and perform a Firm, Fixed-Price contract. After review of the responses to this sources sought announcement a synopsis and/or solicitation announcement may be published at a later time. The Government must ensure there is adequate competition among the potential pool of responsive contractors.

The duration of the requirement is for a base period (start TBD and end TBD) with four each one-year option periods. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code applicable to this acquisition is 621492. The Small Business Size Standard for this acquisition is $41.5M.

Please limit your response to this synopsis to five pages and please include the following information:

· Your company’s name, addresses, point of contact, phone number, and email address.

· Your company’s interest in submitting a proposal on the solicitation when it is issued.

· Your company’s capability to meet the requirements.

· Your company’s capability to perform a contract of this type and comparable work performed within the past three years to include a brief description of the project, customer’s name, phone number and address, period of performance, and dollar value of the project.

· Your company’s Business Size (Large or Small) and Socioeconomic Status (Veteran Owned, SDVOSB, HUBZONE, 8(a), etc.).

· Your company’s Joint Venture information (if applicable and include copy of agreement) – existing and potential Please provide a capability statement addressing your organization’s ability to perform as a prime contractor the work described in the draft PWS (below). Index your firm’s capabilities to the tasks in the draft PWS so that your firm’s capabilities can be readily assessed. This is not a request for proposal and in no way obligates the Government to award any contract.

Interested companies are asked to respond to this Sources Sought Notice no-later-than 4:00 PM (CST) on June 29, 2020. All interested companies must be registered in SAM (http://www.sam.gov/) to be eligible for award of government contracts. Please mail, fax or email your response to: Colleen Donahue-MacDonald NCO 15 Contracting Office, 3450 S. 4th Street, Leavenworth, KS; 60048, Email Address: colleen.donahue-macdonald@va.gov , Fax No. (913) 946-1198. Please reference the following in the subject line of all correspondence submitted: Onsite Acute Chronic Hemodialysis. Note: Email is the preferred method when receiving responses to this notice.

DRAFT: Performance Work Statement

B.2 SCHEDULE

Acute Hemodialysis Services

EA

EA

Dialysis (CCPD)

EA

EA

EA

*CLIN – Contract Line Item Number

TOTAL

B.3 PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Onsite Acute/Chronic Hemodialysis Services

1. GENERAL:

1.1. Services Provided: The Contractor shall provide on-site acute/chronic hemodialysis and peritoneal services in accordance with the specifications contained herein to beneficiaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Robert J Dole VA Medical Center.

1.1. Place of Performance – Robert J Dole VA Medical Center, 5500 E. Kellogg, Wichita, Kansas 67218

1.2. Authority: Title 38 USC 8153, Sharing of Health-Care Resources (HCR) Authority, FAR Part 12 and 13, and VAAR 873.

1.3. Policy/Handbooks:

1.3.1. VHA Directive 0710 VHA Personnel Security and Suitability Program: https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=8110

1.3.2. VA Directive 1663: Health Care Resources Contracting - Buying https://www.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp?Pub_ID=969&FType=2

1.3.3. VHA Directive 2006-041 “Veterans’ Health Care Service Standards” https://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1443

1.3.4. VHA Directive 1230(2) Outpatient Scheduling Processes and Procedures: https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=3218

1.3.5. VHA Directive 1192 “Seasonal Influenza Prevention Program” https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=5472

1.3.6. VHA Directive 6300 Records Management https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=8113

1.3.7. VHA Directive 6300.1 Records Management Compliance https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=5450

1.3.8. VHA Handbook 1100.17: National Practitioner Data Bank Reports https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2135

1.3.9. VHA Handbook 1100.18 Reporting and Responding To State Licensing Boards https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1364

1.3.10. VHA Handbook 1100.19 Credentialing and Privileging https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2910

1.3.11. VHA Handbook 1605.01 Privacy and Release of Information https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=3233

1.3.12. VHA Handbook 1907.01 Health Information Management and Health Records: https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=3088

1.3.13. Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) as amended http://www.justice.gov/oip/foia_updates/Vol_XVII_4/page2.htm

1.4. Definitions/Acronyms- Terms used in this contract shall be interpreted as follows unless the context expressly requires a different construction and/or interpretation. In case of a conflict in language between the Definitions and other sections of this contract, the language in this section shall govern.

1.4.1. AAMI: Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation

1.4.2. BLS: Basic Life Support

1.4.3. CCNE: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education: www.aacn.nche.edu/accreditation

1.4.4. CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

1.4.5. CDR: Contract Discrepancy Report

1.4.6. CEU: Certified Education Unit

1.4.7. CME: Continuing Medical Education

1.4.8. CMS: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

1.4.9. Contracting Officer (CO) – The person executing this contract on behalf of the Government with the authority to enter into and administer contracts and make related determinations and findings.

1.4.10. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) – A person appointed by the CO to take necessary action to ensure the Contractor performs in accordance with and adheres to the specifications contained in the contract and to protect the interest of the Government. The COR shall report to the CO promptly any indication of non-compliance in order that appropriate action can be taken.

1.4.11. COS: Chief of Staff

1.4.12. CPARS: Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System

1.4.13. CPRS: Computerized Patient Recordkeeping System- electronic health record system used by the VA.

1.4.14. Credentialing: Credentialing is the systematic process of screening and evaluating qualification and other credentials, including licensure, required education, relevant training and experience and current competence and health status.

1.4.15. Full Time Equivalent (FTE): VA’s definition for full time- working the equivalent of 80 hours every two weeks, 2080 hours per year. In calculating FTE, any hours not worked on national holidays shall not be included.

1.4.16. HHS: Department of Health and Human Services

1.4.17. HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

1.4.18. HR: Human Resources

1.4.19. ISO: Information Security Officer

1.4.20. Medical Emergency - a sudden onset of a medical condition manifesting itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity that the absence of immediate medical attention could reasonably result in: Permanently placing a patient's health in jeopardy, causing other serious medical consequences, causing impairments to body functions, or causing serious or permanent dysfunction of any body-organ or part.

1.4.21. MOD: Medical Officer of the Day

1.4.22. NLNAC: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. www.nlnac.org

1.4.23. Non-Contract Provider - any person, organization, agency, or entity that is not directly or indirectly employed by the Contractor or any of its subcontractors

1.4.24. POP: Period of Performance

1.4.25. PWS: Performance Work Statement

1.4.26. QASP: Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

1.4.27. Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN): The regional oversight for the VA medical centers.

1.4.28. VetPro: a federal web-based credentialing program for healthcare providers.

1.4.29. VISTA (Veterans Integrated Systems Technology Architecture): A PC based system that will capture and store clinical imagery, scanned documents and other non-textual data files and integrates them into patient’s medical record and with the hospital information system.

1.4.30. Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC): Unless identified with the name of a different VA medical Center, for purposes of this contract, this term shall mean the Wichita, Kansas VA Medical Center.

2. QUALIFICATIONS:

2.1. Staff/Facility

2.1.1. License - Contract provider(s) assigned by the Contractor to perform the services covered by this contract shall have a current/valid or unrestricted nurses license in any State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia.

2.1.2. Credentialing–Credentialing is to be done in accordance with the provisions of VHA Handbook 1100.19. Contractor personnel must be able to pass the VAMC’s credentialing process. VetPro will be completed annually to meet VHA handbook requirements.

2.1.2.1. If a contract provider(s) is not credentialed or has credentials suspended or revoked, the Contractor shall furnish an acceptable substitute without any additional cost to the government.

2.1.3. Technical Proficiency - Contract provider (s) shall be technically proficient in the skills necessary to fulfill the government’s requirements, including the ability to speak, understand, read and write English fluently. Contractor shall provide documents upon request of the CO/COR to verify current and ongoing competency, skills, certification and/or licensure related to the provision of care, treatment and/or services performed.

2.1.4. Training (BLS, CPRS and VA MANDATORY): Contractor shall meet all VA educational requirements and mandatory course requirements defined herein; all training must be completed by the contract personnel as required by the VA.

2.1.5. Standard Personnel Testing (PPD, etc.): Contractor shall provide proof of the following tests for personnel within five (5) calendar days after contract award and prior to the first duty shift to the COR and Contracting Officer. Tests shall be current within the past year.

2.1.5.1. TUBERCULOSIS TESTING: Contractor shall provide proof of a negative Tuberculosis Skin Test (TST) or interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA) for all Contractor’s physician (s) {This is applicable to all health care workers}. A negative chest radiographic report for active tuberculosis shall be provided in cases of positive TST or IGRA results. The TST or IGRA testing shall be repeated annually.

2.1.5.2. MEASLES, MUMPS, & RUBELLA TESTING: Contractors shall provide proof of immunity for all Contractor physicians {This is applicable to all health care workers}.

2.1.5.3. VARICELLA: Contractors shall provide proof of immunity for all Contractor physicians {This is applicable to all health care workers}.

2.1.5.4. ACELLULAR PERTUSSIS: Contractors shall provide proof of 1 dose of Tdap vaccination for all Contractor physicians {This is applicable to all health care workers}.

2.1.5.5. INFLUENZA: Contractors shall provide proof that all Contractor physicians have received the annual Influenza vaccine unless it is contraindicated. If the Contractor physician has a medical contraindication to the vaccine, they shall be required to wear a mask during the Influenza season, {This is applicable to all health care workers}.

2.1.5.6. OSHA REGULATION CONCERNING OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS: Contractor shall provide evidence of completing and passing generic self-study blood-borne pathogen training for all Contractor’s physician (s) {This is applicable to all health care workers}; provide their own Hepatitis B vaccination series and hepatitis B surface antigen test results following the hepatitis B vaccination series; maintain an exposure determination and control plan; maintain required records; and ensure that proper follow-up evaluation is provided following an exposure incident.

2.1.5.7. The VAMC shall notify the Contractor of any significant communicable disease exposures as appropriate. Contractor shall adhere to current CDC/HICPAC Guideline for Infection Control in health care personnel ( as published in American Journal for Infection Control- AJIC 1998; 26:289-354 http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/pdf/InfectControl98.pdf) for disease control. Contractor shall provide follow up documentation of clearance to return to the workplace prior to their return.

2.1.6. Citizenship related Requirements:

2.1.6.1. The Contractor certifies that the Contractor shall comply with any and all legal provisions contained in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, As Amended; its related laws and regulations that are enforced by Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S Department of Labor as these may relate to non-immigrant foreign nationals working under contract or subcontract for the Contractor while providing services to Department of Veterans Affairs patient referrals;

2.1.6.2. While performing services for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Contractor shall not knowingly employ, contract or subcontract with an illegal alien; foreign national non-immigrant who is in violation their status, as a result of their failure to maintain or comply with the terms and conditions of their admission into the United States. Additionally, the Contractor is required to comply with all “E-Verify” requirements consistent with “Executive Order 12989” and any related pertinent Amendments, as well as applicable Federal Acquisition Regulations.

2.1.6.3. If the Contractor fails to comply with any requirements outlined in the preceding paragraphs or its Agency regulations, the Department of Veterans Affairs may, at its discretion, require that the foreign national who failed to maintain their legal status in the United States or otherwise failed to comply with the requirements of the laws administered by Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S Department of Labor, shall be prohibited from working at the Contractor’s place of business that services Department of Veterans Affairs patient referrals; or other place where the Contractor provides services to veterans who have been referred by the Department of Veterans Affairs; and shall form the basis for termination of this contract for breach.

2.1.6.4. This certification concerns a matter within the jurisdiction of an agency of the United States and the making of a false, fictitious, or fraudulent certification may render the maker subject to prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 1001.

2.1.6.5. The Contractor agrees to obtain a similar certification from its subcontractors. The certification shall be made as part of the offerors response to the RFP using the subject attachment in Section D of the solicitation document.

2.1.7. Annual Office of Inspector General (OIG) Statement: In accordance with HIPAA and the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1977, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has established a list of parties and entities excluded from Federal health care programs. Specifically, the listed parties and entities may not receive Federal Health Care program payments due to fraud and/or abuse of the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

2.1.7.1. Therefore, Contractor shall review the HHS OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities on the HHS OIG web site at https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/index.asp to ensure that the proposed contract personnel are not listed. Contractor should note that any excluded individual or entity that submits a claim for reimbursement to a Federal health care program, or causes such a claim to be submitted, may be subject to a Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) for each item or service furnished during a period that the person was excluded and may also be subject to treble damages for the amount claimed for each item or service. CMP’s may also be imposed against the Contractor that employ or enter into contracts with excluded individuals to provide items or services to Federal program beneficiaries.

2.1.7.2. By submitting their proposal, the Contractor certifies that the HHS OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities has been reviewed and that the Contractors are and/or firm is not listed as of the date the offer/bid was signed.

2.2. Clinical/Professional Direction: The qualifications of Contractor personnel are subject to review by VA Medical Center COS or his/her clinical designee and approval by the Medical Center Director as provided in VHA Handbook 1100.19. Clinical/Professional direction of all clinical personnel covered by this contract will be provided by the VAMC COS and/or the Chief of the Service or his designee. A clinical COR may be appointed, however, only the CO is authorized to consider any contract modification request and/or make changes to the contract during the administration of the resultant contract.

2.3. Non-Personal Healthcare Services: The parties agree that the Contractor and all contract personnel shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose.

2.4. Indemnification: The Contractor shall be liable for, and shall indemnify and hold harmless the Government against, all actions or claims for loss of or damage to property or the injury or death of persons, arising out of or resulting from the fault, negligence, or act or omission of the Contractor, its agents, or employees.

2.5. Prohibition against Self-Referral: Contractor’s physicians are prohibited from referring VA patients to contractor’s or their own practice(s).

2.6. Inherent Government Functions: Contractor and Contractor personnel shall not perform inherently governmental functions. This includes, but is not limited to, determination of agency policy, determination of Federal program priorities for budget requests, direction and control of government employees (outside a clinical context), selection or non-selection of individuals for Federal Government employment including the interviewing of individuals for employment, approval of position descriptions and performance standards for Federal employees, approving any contractual documents, approval of Federal licensing actions and inspections, and/or determination of budget policy, guidance, and strategy.

2.7. No Employee status: The Contractor shall be responsible for protecting Contract personnel furnishing services. To carry out this responsibility, the Contractor shall provide or certify that the following is provided for all their staff providing services under the resultant contract:

2.7.1. Workers’ compensation

2.7.2. Professional liability insurance

2.7.3. Health examinations

2.7.4. Income tax withholding, and

2.7.5. Social security payments.

2.8. Tort Liability: The Federal Tort Claims Act does not cover Contractor or contract provider(s). When a Contractor or contract provider has been identified as a provider in a tort claim, the Contractor shall be responsible for notifying their legal counsel and/or insurance carrier. Any settlement or judgment arising from a Contractor’s (or contract personnel) action or non-action shall be the responsibility of the Contractor and/or insurance carrier.

2.9. Key Personnel:

2.10. The Contractor shall assign to this contract the following key personnel:

2.10.1. During the first ninety (90) days of performance, the Contractor shall make NO substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death, or termination of employment. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer, in writing, within 5 calendar days after the occurrence of any of these events and provide the information required by paragraph (c) below. After the initial 90-day period of the contract, the Contractor shall submit the information required by paragraph (c) to the Contracting Officer at least 15 days prior to making any permanent substitutions.

2.10.2. The Contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, and any additional information requested by the Contracting Officer. Proposed substitutes shall have comparable qualifications to those of the persons being replaced. The Contracting Officer will notify the Contractor within 5 calendar days after receipt of all required information of the decision on the proposed substitutes. The contract will be modified to reflect any approved changes of key personnel.

2.10.3. For temporary substitutions where the key person will not be reporting to work for three (3) consecutive workdays or more, the Contractor shall provide a qualified replacement for the key person. This substitute shall have comparable qualifications to the key person.

2.10.4. The Government reserves the right to refuse acceptance of any Contractor personnel at any time after performance begins, if personal or professional conduct jeopardizes patient care or interferes with the regular and ordinary operation of the facility. Breaches of conduct include intoxication or debilitation resulting from drug use, theft, patient abuse, dereliction or negligence in performing directed tasks, or other conduct resulting in formal complaints by patient or other staff members to designated Government representatives. Standards for conduct shall mirror those prescribed by current federal personnel regulations. Should the VA COS or designee show documented clinical problems or continual unprofessional behavior/actions with any Contractor’s physician (s), s/he may request, without cause, immediate replacement of said Contractor’s physician (s). The CO and COR shall deal with issues raised concerning Contractor’s physician (s) conduct. The final arbiter on questions of acceptability is the CO

2.11. The Contractor shall assign to this contract the following key personnel: Acute care nurses.

2.12. Contingency Plan: Because continuity of care is an essential part of VAMC’s medical services, The Contractor shall have a contingency plan in place to be utilized if the contract personnel leaves Contractor’s employment or is unable to continue performance in accordance with the terms and conditions of the resulting contract.

3. VA HOURS OF OPERATION/SCHEDULING:

3.1. Work Hours: The services covered by this contract shall be furnished 24/7, 365 days per year including holidays.

3.2. Business hours for the VAMC follow:

Administrative hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

3.3. National Holidays: Clinical Contractor shall perform work on federal holidays. The ten (10) Federal holidays observed by VA are as follows. Asterisk (*) indicates the dates change each year.

any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a national holiday.

4. CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

4.1. The contractor will provide the dialysis system and registered nurses to perform the requirements of this contract as outlined below. Personnel assigned by the contractor to perform services covered by the contract shall hold a State Board of Nursing license. The Wichita VAMC will provide the water treatments, the Contractor will provide needed labor, on a continuous (7 days per week 24 hours per day) on a stand-by call coverage, supplies, and equipment for acute hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis coverage at the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, 5500 E. Kellogg, Wichita, Kansas (VA).

4.2. The contractor will provide acute/chronic hemodialysis on patients residing in the on-site Transitional Living Center (TLC). Patients residing in the TLC normally have dialysis services performed in an outpatient dialysis unit, however when the need arises for dialysis of a TLC patient in the inpatient unit the contractor will be responsible for performing these services. The VA will provide adequate clinical space.

4.3. The contractor will provide a dialysis system compatible with the water treatment system made by Biolab Equipment, model 2815A-632, in place at the Wichita VAMC.

4.4. Scheduled Dialysis Services shall be provided during normal business hours for each patient identified by the Wichita VAMC. In the event of a serious patient emergency during normal business hours on a day or time when the provider is not on site, the provider shall arrive at the Wichita VAMC within two (2) hours of notice. Both parties shall agree upon the process by which notice shall be given to the provider. Contractor will have no more than 2 late arrivals per quarter.

4.5. In the event of a medical non-emergent need outside of normal business hours the provider shall arrive at the Wichita VAMC within six (6) hours of notice of a request for services.

4.6. A contractor’s employee(s) must be present at the VA and must actually perform the required services as specified in order for payment of service authorized.

4.7. The contractor will ensure that the water treatment system in place at the Wichita VAMC that is utilized in the performance of this contract is maintained to meet the AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) recommendations regarding water and dialysate fluid safety for hemodialysis. Any damage to the VA equipment or property as a result of contractor negligence or contractor equipment malfunction shall be made whole at the contractor’s expense.

4.8. On-going teaching program shall be offered patients to allow them to gain knowledge of the following:

4.8.1. A self-care concepts

4.8.2. Normal kidney structure and function

4.8.3. Causes of kidney failure

4.8.4. Effects of kidney failure on the body

4.8.5. Medication regimen

4.8.6. Dietary regimen

4.8.7. Circulatory access

4.8.8. Hemodialysis/continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) principles and procedures.

4.9. Required medications (antihypertensives, erythropoietin, antimicrobial agents, etc.) will be provided by the VA pharmacy upon submission of a prescription written by the Nephrologist.

4.10. A specific plan of care shall be designed for each patient based upon nursing diagnosis or clinical nursing problems, expected patient outcomes and nursing intervention. Any of the following nursing diagnosis experienced by the patient shall be addressed by the plan of care:

4.10.1. Impairment of skin integrity

4.10.2. Fluid volume excess

4.10.3. Alteration in cardiac output related to hyperkalemia

4.10.4. Alteration in cardiac output secondary to hyperkalemia

4.10.5. Alteration in cardiac output related to uremia or dialysis-associated pericarditis, pericardial effusion and pericardial tamponade secondary to uremia and dialytic therapy

4.10.6. Activity intolerance related to uremia

4.10.7. Sexual dysfunction related to effects of uremia on endocrine system and/or psychosocial impact of renal failure and its treatment.

4.10.8. Alterations in comfort related to peripheral neuropathy caused by effects of uremia and peripheral nerves

4.10.9. Impaired gas exchange

4.10.10. Alterations in oral mucous membranes

4.10.11. Alterations in nutrition, less than body requirements

4.10.12. Impaired physical mobility

4.10.13. Anxiety

4.10.14. Powerlessness

4.10.15. Noncompliance

4.10.16. Grieving

4.10.17. Alterations in self-concept